A PRINCIPLE OF UNCERTAINTY FOR INFORMATION SEEKING
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/eb026918 |
| Pages | 339-355 |
| Published date | 01 April 1993 |
| Date | 01 April 1993 |
| Author | CAROL C. KUHLTHAU |
| Subject Matter | Information & knowledge management,Library & information science |
THE
Journal of Documentation
VOLUME 49 NUMBER 4 DECEMBER 1993
A PRINCIPLE OF UNCERTAINTY FOR INFORMATION SEEKING
CAROL C. KUHLTHAU
School of Communication, Information, and Library Studies
Rutgers University, 4 Huntington Street, New Brunswick, NJ 08902
This paper proposes an uncertainty principle for information seeking.
The principle
is
based on the results of a series of studies conducted by
the author into the user's perspective of the information search
process. A basic principle of uncertainty is elaborated by six corol-
laries.
The principle
is
proposed to explain the constructive process of
information seeking and use bringing affective considerations to what
has usually been regarded as a cognitive process.
INTRODUCTION
LIBRARY AND INFORMATION STUDIES are in a theory building
phase. Traditional conceptual frameworks are being re-examined and new
perspectives are being proposed. Some of the most interesting current research
is converging around investigation into the user's perspective of information
seeking. This paper discusses constructivist theory as a conceptual framework
for studying the user's perspective, bringing affective considerations to what
has usually been regarded as a cognitive process. Methods for investigating
users in actual situations of information seeking are described with examples
from the author's research into this area. An uncertainty principle as a
theoretical position is proposed which is grounded in research in the
information search process. In conclusion, some promising directions for
future research are discussed.
2.
INFORMATION SEEKING AS A CONSTRUCTIVE PROCESS
Within the past few years there has been a noticeable shift in the conceptual
approach to information studies to the user's perspective of information
seeking and use. In 1986, Dervin and Nilan in a review of research into
Journal
of
Documentation,
vol.
49,
no.
4,
December
1993,
pp.
339-355
339
JOURNAL OF DOCUMENTATION vol. 49, no. 4
information needs and uses found that most studies remain constrained by the
system's definition of needs with the menu of responses coming from the
system's view of the world and not the user's [1]. They called for research
within a new paradigm of the user's perspective in order to provide a solid
research base on which to build a conceptual framework for both practice and
research. Others have substantiated that research is needed which goes beyond
the study of seeking and gathering of information to the study of the
constructive process of using information to solve the problem which initiated
the information need
[2-5].
Although there have been relatively few empirical studies of
users'
problems
and processes, some important work has been done which indicates a direction
for further investigation. Taylor's [6] levels of information need (visceral,
conscious, formal and compromised), Belkin [7,8] and his colleagues' work on
the
ASK
hypothesis (anomalous state of knowledge), Dervin's [9] studies of
sensemaking, and Saracevic's [10] description of relevance are some examples
of this work. Also investigation of search techniques, procedures and
strategies which accommodate the user's perspective have opened a pro-
ductive line of research [11-15].
My own work has investigated the experience of users within the levels or
stages of the information search process as they move from ambiguity to
specificity, or what I call uncertainty to understanding [16].
3.
BORROWING A CONSTRUCTIVIST FRAMEWORK OF LEARNING
The constructivist view of learning has provided a particularly fruitful,
theoretical framework for my own research into the information search
process. This framework is purposefully applied to explain the role of
information in the individual's process of problem solving or finding new
ideas,
involving such important mental steps as the production of hypotheses.
The framework extends the ASK hypothesis of Belkin and other dynamic but
step-like theoretical constructions.
The work of three prominent theorists on construction, John Dewey,
George Kelly and Jerome Bruner, has formed the conceptual basis. Dewey
[17] provides the philosophical foundation for viewing learning as a
constructive process. Kelly
[18],
a clinical psychologist, verified and refined the
theory from the psychological perspective. Psychologist Jerome Bruner [19]
further verified constructive theory in his research on perception. His recent
writings offer a contemporary perspective on learning as a constructive
process [20].
Each of these theorists contributed to a conceptual perspective which
provided a lens for viewing and interpreting data collected on users'
experience in information seeking. Dewey describes the dynamic role that the
individual plays in the process of using information for learning. He reveals
that deep thinking and reflection are an integral part of the constructive
process.
340
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